The Ahafo Region, once a thriving forest enclave teeming with life, was more than just trees and soil — it was a heritage zone, a natural resource bank, and a sacred space for the indigenous custodians who had protected it for generations.

The trucks roll out daily, carrying away hardwoods worth fortunes. But not a single coin of that wealth returns to the people who call this land home.

Today, the forest lies in ruins — stripped bare by logging operations that came in under the guise of “development” and “economic growth”.

Yet, the only ones who have truly profited are the timber merchants and corporate middlemen.

In this regard, Charity Gardiner, the Ahafo Regional Minister, has warned merchants and corporate middlemen to fulfil their royalties and social responsibilities or stay out of the region's forests.

During the launch of the 'Tree for Life' initiative in Bonsam Bepo Forest Reserve in Ahantamo near Akrodie, she said communities whose identities are interwoven with the forest are left to pick up the pieces.

"Our streams are polluted, our soil degraded, our biodiversity gone, and our traditional livelihoods dismantled. This is not normal," the minister bemoaned.

According to her, promises of compensation and community development have long vanished, like the canopy that once shaded their homes, saying that this is more than deforestation; it’s dispossession.

She indicated that the imbalance is glaring: timber merchants grow richer while those who once safeguarded the forest descend further into poverty and marginalisation.

Charity Gardiner indicated that with every fallen tree, a part of the affected community's future falls with it and that a befitting compensation must be earned by the custodians of the forests.

The minister has therefore given an ultimatum to merchants and corporate middlemen to account for their work in arrears in a scheduled meeting of key stakeholders this week to address the disparities.

She encouraged individuals and organisations, especially the timber merchants' association in the region, to initiate measures to plant more trees before and after the annual national planting exercise.

Madam Charity Gardiner emphasised the need for the Forestry Commission, communities around the forests and other institutions to nurture the planted seedlings to ensure value for money.

Under the initiative, 25 hectares of the degraded portion of the Bonsam Bepo Forest Reserve have been demarcated for farmers of Ahantamo and Akrodie to plant trees under a modified system, where the farmers will benefit 25 per cent upon maturity.

Ahafo Regional Director of the Forestry Commission, Rev. Edward Antwi-Opoku, said the exercise aimed at creating awareness of the importance of trees and environmental conservation and enhancing biodiversity by promoting ecosystem restoration.

He noted that trees planted will also combat climate change and its adverse impacts on human and aquatic life, restore polluted water bodies to their natural colour, and ensure sustainable livelihoods through job creation.

Rev. Antwi-Opoku stated that urban greening, fish farming, production and improved seedlings, agroforestry intervention and ecotourism, and academic research and experiments will be enhanced.

The tree planting exercise was well attended by traditional authorities, members of the clergy, students, journalists, various youth and women groups, and Heads of departments and agencies, among others.